Great Wolf Lodge
La Grange, Ga.
Award of Merit

Owner: Great Wolf Lodge & Resorts
Contractor: Turner Construction Co.
Lead Designer: Gensler
Structural Engineer: PES Structural Engineers
Civil Engineer: AEC Atlanta
MEP Engineer: Thompson Ehle Co.
Pool/Waterpark Design: Neuman Group
Lighting Design: Lighting Design Alliance Inc.

Located in La Grange, Ga., this 493,000-sq-ft family entertainment facility, hotel and conference center features a lobby area with a towering stone fireplace adorned with wolf silhouettes. Full-span decorative glulam trusses and walls dressed in wood millwork create the atmosphere of a lodge.

The Turner Construction-led team kept a focus on worker safety, implementing its Building LIFE program, which stands for Living Injury Free Every Day. This year’s safety judges recognized the project’s safety program, with one judge noting that “The results were very strong for the size and scope of the work.” The safety program included prejob planning, employee engagement, management engagement, safety committees and incentives for proactive risk management.

Specifically, Turner’s safety program included a “ladders last” policy, meaning a strong preference for completing aerial work via the use of lifts or scaffolds. If these methods were not feasible, workers had to submit a permit request to use a ladder. The contractor required all lift operators to wear red rip-away lanyards with clear sleeves showing their training cards.

Turner also based its subcontractor of the month awards on a firm’s attention to safety, including its timely paperwork and reporting of safety issues. Recognized subcontractors received safety certificates and their workers were treated to a barbecue cooked by Turner staff. Overall, the program proved highly successful, with the project achieving a lost-time accident rate of 0.22.